THE death of a man working at a film studio in Edinburgh, which has worked on TV dramas like Department Q and The Rig, is to be investigated by a sheriff, it has emerged.
Philip Ross is believed to have died in an accident involving a hydraulic lift at FirstStage Studios in Leith in June 2022.
The 30-year-old contractor had been working at the studios while the screen adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s bestselling novel The Outrun was being filmed at the facility.
According to court documents, a fatal-accident inquiry into Ross’s death has been launched by a Lothian and Borders sheriff as the 30-year-old’s death “resulted from an accident that occurred in the course of his employment”.
A preliminary hearing is set to take place at Edinburgh Sheriff Court via Webex on August 24.
The full inquiry is due to begin in November, where the full circumstances of his death will be investigated.
FirstStage, which provides 115,000sq ft of stage space and up to 37,000sq ft of workshop space, was first set up at a former wave power company’s site for the filming of the blockbuster hit Avengers: Infinity War in 2017, before being converted into a permanent space.
Following Brown’s death, the studio issued a statement which read: “We are devastated to learn of the tragic death of a contractor working for one of our production customers. An investigation is under way so we cannot comment further.”
The 30-year-old’s mum, Karen Ross, wrote on social media at the time that she was heartbroken following his death.
She said: “I am totally heartbroken, I have no words for my pain right now.”
Dozens of his friends and family gathered at Portobello Beach in July 2022 and let off 120 purple balloons in his memory.
Michael Frost, who organised the event, said at the time: “As most of you may know we sadly lost Philip Ross (Pip).
“He touched so many people’s lives and he’ll be sadly missed by all that knew him.”
